Baijiu: The World of Chinese Spirits

Baijiu is the world’s best-selling liquor, but it is only beginning to be understood beyond China’s borders. Within the baijiu category is a diversity of flavors and stories as rich as the country that created it. Join author Derek Sandhaus for a discussion on Chinese spirits and how, for more than nine thousand years, alcohol has shaped and been shaped by Chinese culture.

With a guided baijiu tasting, small bites from Kings County Imperial, and a book signing of Baijiu: The Essential Guide to Chinese Spirits to follow.

About Derek Sandhaus

Derek Sandhaus is the educational director of Ming River Baijiu and the author of Baijiu: The Essential Guide to Chinese Spirits. He spent almost a decade sipping and savoring local spirits as a China-based writer and editor. Currently, he lives with his wife and dog in Jerusalem, where he is developing a fondness for arak.

About Ming River

Ming River is the original Sichuan baijiu. Crafted by Luzhou Laojiao, China’s oldest continuously operating distillery since 1573, it uses time honored traditional methods passed from master to apprentice over 24 generations. Each batch starts with locally harvested red sorghum grain and the purest waters from protected wells. It is fermented in earthen pits with naturally harvested yeast cultures native to the lush river town of Luzhou that impart the distinctive terroir of Sichuan style baijiu. After two months the mash is unearthed and distilled in small batches using a traditional Chinese pot still. The spirits age for up to two years before a master blender balances them into Ming River’s distinctive flavor. The result is an uncompromisingly bold spirit with notes of pineapple and anise followed by a long mellow finish.

About Kings County Imperial

Kings County Imperial is a reinterpreted Central Chinese restaurant that has become a neighborhood favorite. They use farm-fresh ingredients and sun-fermented soy sauce and serve Tiki-inspired cocktails.

*Ticket Refund Policy: Full refund with 48 hours notice, 50% refund with 24 hours notice, and no refund with less than 24 hours notice.